Do you have any old trees on your land that you would like to bring back into production? Attend this workshop and learn to renovate and upkeep your heritage trees. Participants should dress appropriately and bring their pruners, loppers, saws and a bag lunch.

Organic and Sustainable Agriculture News

Moms turn in BPA petitionKennebec Journal - 6/22/2012. By Susan M. Cover – Augusta: More than a dozen mothers turned in signatures Thursday to try to compel the state Board of Environmental Protection to ban the chemical bisphenol-A from baby and toddler food packaging.

Monsanto’s corn-soy solution for feeding the world is all wrongKennebec Journal - 6/22/2012. Op-Ed by Denis Thoet – How are we going to feed a world population of 9 billion by the year 2050? Monsanto thinks it knows the answer: more corn and soy production through "improved" bioengineered seed and "no till" cropping. "No till" is a euphemism for using Monsanto-produced Roundup to kill the weeds in your corn and soy fields so you can then plant your Roundup-resistant seeds, also made by Monsanto.

Maine strawberry crop bountiful thanks to hot springBangor Daily News - 6/22/2012. By Andrew Bulfinch – Berwick: Isabella Costello came to Riverside Farm with her mother and big brother Thursday morning taking advantage of the strong season for the juicy red berries. According to owner Dave Tuttle, this season is particularly ideal for strawberries due in large part to the warm weather this region has experienced since spring.

Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., hosted by Coastal Enterprises Inc., 30 Federal St., Brunswick, Maine. Full-day workshop designed to help established and beginning farmers understand the financials of their business and learn how to make informed decisions to increase profits. Instructor Julia Shanks is the author of "The Farmer's Office: Tools, Tips and Templates to Successfully Manage a Growing Farm Business." $100 per person; $135 for two people coming from the same farm. Scholarships available. Information and registration.

Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center, Unity. There is no place more important to get off to a good start than growing seedlings for your farm. The program at Spring Growth this year will help you evaluate your production with topics from how to set up the production equipment (benches, containers, etc.), evaluate your soil mix, keep up the plant nutrition and avoid problems. Hear from farmers and service providers including Ann Mefferd, Alicyn Smart, Bruce Hoskins and Stephanie Burnett. Information. Fee: $75 for individuals, $100 for couples. Lunch is included. Registration

Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center, Unity. To help develop or refine a labor model that works for your farm, we invite you to join a diverse group of farmers for a day of 'participatory professional development' to explore labor management models used on Maine farms today. Please contact Ryan at rdennett@mofga.org with any questions.